1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to improving reliability of heterojunction transistors, particularly high electron mobility transistors, with an ammonia plasma pretreatment prior to passivation.
2. Description of Related Art
Prior methods which have been used to prepare processed AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) for reliable operation in the past have included using no passivation at all, or direct deposition of a variety of electrically insulating materials intended to passivate surface states. These material films can be deposited by such processes as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Silicon nitride (SiN) is one of the most commonly used surface passivating films for AlGaN/GaN HEMTs and can be deposited onto the device by the aforementioned method. However, silicon nitride passivation, while an improvement over no passivation at all, still results in a decrease in performance of the device after dc and rf bias stress. This is a significant limitation and disadvantage in the reliability of AlGaN/GaN HEMT electronic devices.
AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors have shown exceptional microwave power output densities, with a recently reported continuous wave power density of 30 W/mm and 50% power added efficiency at a frequency of 8 GHz, In addition, a 36-mm gate-width GaN HEMT has been demonstrated with a total power output of 150 W and a power added efficiency of 54%. However, device reliability remains a major concern for III-N HEMTs. In AlGaN/GaN HEMTs, degradation of the dc, transient, and microwave characteristics are often seen after relatively short periods of normal device operation. Although reliability is improving, microwave power output typically degrades by more than 1 dB in less than 1000 hours of operation.